2015, the Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke
is an eight-year-old bike. First developed for the 2006 model year, the
number of modifications made on a
year-to-year basis are drops in the
bucket compared to what the KTM/
Husky engineers have done in half
the time. Yamaha’s 2015 updates consisted of new bodywork, upgraded
SSS suspension and wider footpegs.
Sounds mediocre, doesn’t it?

Remember, these are just the

specs—and specs alone. On paper,
there is no reason to buy the 2015

Yamaha YZ250. You could buy a
used YZ250 for several thousand
dollars and call it a day. The KTM
250SX wins the paper-trail shootout.

HOW GOOD IS THE
YAMAHA YZ250’S OVERALL
POWERBAND?

The YZ250 power is the weakestbike when it comes to dyno num-bers. But, the YZ250’s power deliverythroughout the entire powerbandis superb. It has enough torque tokeep your finger from abusing theclutch, and the midrange hit is nottoo abrupt. The power transitionsinto the top end without losing abeat. Finally, no matter how long yourev out the motor, it never falls onits face. In a perfect world we wouldlike to see Yamaha keep the samepowerband but try to pump up thepower to KTM’s level. Our test riderswanted more power everywhere, butthey loved the curve.

HOW GOOD IS THE
HUSQVARNA TC250’S OVERALL
POWERBAND?

The Husky has two different map
settings. On the aggressive map,
which is setting two, we got the
best results. The Husky engine does
not feel like the KTM. Why not? The